idank / idank/explainshell

Missing popover description of process/command substitutions

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Dominant language
Python
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Description

explainshell doesn't seem to understand bash's process substitution syntax. E.g. for this common snippet:

comm -2 -3 <(sort file1) <(sort file2) > file3

The two sorts are marked together as ?. It still lets you click on each one to see the sort explained, but no explanation of the syntax is otherwise given. A comment on what this means in the context of the outer command would be elucidative. If you don't know what it's called googling for <( ) is very hard!

Docs: http://wiki.bash-hackers.org/syntax/expansion/proc_subst

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
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Research direction

Start by reproducing the Bash example comm -2 -3 <(sort file1) <(sort file2) > file3 and read the linked Bash process-substitution documentation. Trace how explainshell groups and displays the two substitutions, then add a contextual explanation for the syntax in the outer command and verify that the nested sort commands remain individually explainable.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
bash, python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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